Blackmail
by DRAGONGHOST
Summary: She wasn't planning for anything special today, especially not for what he had in mind for her. *Happy Valentine's Day.* (Cover image by Master Franny at deviantart)


Chapter 1

Hey, wanted to be a part of the holidays.

So I made a thing.

Please enjoy.

* * *

Light shown into the room, casting celestial rays on the once dark world and redeeming lost qualities for all to see. Piercing through the curtains like brilliant blades against tissue, pooling inside the dark space as illuminating raindrops that sprinkled throughout the air and a glowing tide that washed over the floor. The swelling of daylight from the retreating night brought warmth, nothing so serious as hot or empty as lukewarm. There was simply a radiance of life swarming into the empty shell of the world, striking a spark of embers within a nurturing forge. Energy filled the room, not static or disruptive, but a healthy current that turned the great wheel with the flow of a steady river. Power orchestrated throughout the previously numbingly dark space, transforming the quiet world into a bustling one.

Wherever the light chose to grace those with its presence, its appearance disturbed the previously still area. Spurning motion into what the arguably lifeless, the response itself was lively in its return back. Shadows stretched to cover the walls with long, shady branches that slithered wryly on the surface, bending in ways some might consider unnatural. Soon, they would reach the peak of their stature and shorten, the same source that gave birth to them also causing the remnants of darkness to die away. There was no despair in this fleeting moment of the morning, only a harmonious migration of night to day as dawn earn its keep in between. The sun was rising in the east, while the moon fell to the west and handed over the earth to the bright lord.

The bedroom slowly awoke to the coming of day, becoming visible for the naked eye to see. A collection of furniture was revealed in the luminance, crafted out of lovely wooden material, fabrics, and holding other items of import. Nothing too grand, but, all that was present was positioned in set places either for use or decoration-perhaps, both. A large wardrobe against the wall furthest from the window, and hosting the door, sported a large mirror that caught and reflected the rays back towards the rest of the room. The direction they turned was back towards the wall with the window, this time, meeting the blank screen of a computer sitting on a desk. Along with where the lifeless machine sat were some folders and pile of papers laying about in a bit of a mess; pens, pencils, markers, and sticky notes converged with one another in their mishap community of utensils. Towards the center of the bedroom, a small, somewhat on the medium size, drawer was pressed against the wall with flat screen T.V. on top. There was brief walking space in between it and the foot of the bed, providing a person a way to move to either side of the room without bothering the person in it.

The actual bed itself divided the space in two, making physical claim as the center of attention with its position. If a person wanted, they could roll across the mattress to either side of their choosing. In fact, the main reasoning behind its placement, in the room, was so that the person, whatever they were doing, could always have such an easy access to it. Those that did happen to be in it had the luxury of watching whatever was on the big screen, all with the comfort of being nice and cozy. It was a moderately sized one, capable of holding two people despite being left with a lone occupant.

Speaking of whom, a soft blanket covered any trace of said inhabit who was doing everything in their grievant power to ignore the coming of day. Despite still being asleep, technically, the person beneath the covers was making a subconscious effort to remain that way. It behooved her to suffer the insult of welcoming a new day of being alive, becoming animate just for few hours to only return to this lonesome mattress. She was tempted, as she had been so many times before, to just continue laying their until her mind returned to hibernation and gave her pass to peaceful dreams.

Yet, today was an exception of such a plan, for multiple reasons conflicting with one another. Reasons for why she didn't want to leave the confines of her room in the first place, and reasons for why the bed couldn't just block out the rhythmic beating coming from her own body. The heart was a strange thing to associate with emotions, considering that it's one job was pumping blood throughout the body. Yet someone deemed it necessary to draw a line of comparison between it and the state of human mind. Pounding with life, hammering with the motivation to move, echoing some hidden desires kept secret from the world. Except, the beating tempo she felt didn't come from her chest, and the girl openly cursed the prospect of being alive.

With a splitting headache tearing her skull apart, the only desire this girl had was to go back to sleep after giving the sun a black eye. It was way too bright in this room at this time of day, and the only motivation she had was to get away to someplace darker. Not that it wasn't natural-or unexpected for the day to eventually come about, but, she could sure do without it. Laying in a fetal position, knees bundling up close to the rest of her body, she wished that the there was more than the single blanket covering her. Still somewhere on the fence consciousness and unconsciousness, she wonder why the hell her blanket had to be so thin in the first place. It might not have been cool enough for a thicker one, but anything was better then playing turtle with the equivalent to wet paper. Wished that her entire closet and wardrobe was dumped on top of the balled up form in the bed, hell, if wasn't for the fact getting up would mean facing the light for a few minutes, she'd make a pile of coats to dive into.

As fun as that thought was, and _fun_ wasn't something she could associate with very well right now, the girl clung to her spot beneath the covers and avoided any exposure to world outside of them. The first thing she'd wish for before allowing any source of natural light to touch the girl would be gun to shoot herself with. Aside from the brain pummeling headache, her stomach was off as well. It was as if it were vacuumed out, put through a gymnastics course, trained for and competed in the Olympics, then was suddenly shoved back down her throat with the medal. Pretty sure that there could be nothing left inside of it, the girl was utterly confused at how her guts continued to scream and cry out for release despite already being empty. She remained helpless as they threatened to escape, one way…or another. Yet, despite it all, she endured the course of her vile sickness and laid motionless under their torturous assault. Her room, despite being so taken with brilliant daylight, was, thankfully, quiet. Amidst her aches and pain wreaking havoc across her being, she could work with quiet. The girl was being rewarded for remaining so quiet, her luck was beginning to turn for the better.

Sleep was returning to drown out all nuisances…or, at least, it would have if it weren't for the screaming alarm coming from the counter next to the head of her bed.

Groaning inside of her already crumbling mind, the girl tightened her ball of solitude as she tried her best to ignore the new threat to resting. It was bad enough that the inside of her skull was already filled the clanging and ranging of a medieval blacksmith's forge, it sure as hell didn't need any help of going from four to fucking eleven. She tried to tough it out, to wait for the blaring alarm to subside and leave her be. But it was all for not, and the ringing didn't look it was going to stop any time soon enough for her taste. Considering this to be an illegal move of outside interference, the girl was reluctantly forced to take matters into her own hands. And on that note, she broke her own rule by sticking her own hand outside of her cover.

Delicate looking finger, richly white like cream, broke into the surface of the world beyond the protective blanket. Blind in the open air, the hand navigated by memory. Doing this over a thousand times, every day for years, it practically zeroed in on the intended target. However, the inhibitions that muddle her head reflected here in her hand's movement. Instead landing where they were supposed to, the fingers tapped the wooden surface of the counter as her palm flopped on it. Recognizing that this wasn't what it was looking for, the hand trudged on as it slid across the surface; dragging her arm further out from the covers. Begrudgingly searching for that which was eating away at her chances for sleep, her fingers bumped into a object within their path. Touching it, getting a feel for the size, scope, and texture of the obstacle, they found it promising and started climbing the device. Clambering over it, scaling the sides like a tentacle creature constantly inspecting with curiosity, they eventually reached the flat top. Now came the easy part, or was it the hard part. Despite operating on well-toned muscle memory, the fingers seemed to have a bit of difficulty finding the-oh…the alarm came to an abrupt stop.

Having accidentally, but finally finding the off button, the fingers retreated from the device as the limb retracted into the covers. Gracious that her little journey was over, the girl let out an appreciative sigh. Oh, her head still felt like an anvil in process of being banged against, and, her guts were close to being evicted. But thank whatever god or flying spaghetti monster that amused itself with her life, all the problems she had in one moment and the girl was happy to get rid of one of them. Relishing in the once again quiet bedroom, she sank into the bed like a heavy stone. The only sign of her being alive was the rise and fall of her form beneath the blanket, still breathing in a calm and steady manner. Relaxed, her body was starting to become numb-weightless, even. Her mind was starting to slip away, losing its grip on reality as sleep was returning.

Only sweet dreams for this girl.

Until the alarm came back like a screeching billy goat.

" Uhrrg," becoming vocal with her frustration, the girl groaned as her mind snapped out la-la-land and the headache returned a hundred times worse. Perhaps she hit the snooze button instead, though, it didn't feel like five minutes had passed. Regardless, she found herself back in a familiar situation with a similar objective in mind. The hand from before reappeared to silence the device, by all means necessary. Having made the trip so recently already, it didn't bother with crawling on the counter like before. No, instead it shot directly into the air before coming hard on the device, pouncing on it prey like a jungle cat on its meal. Fingers fiddling to find the button, the girl felt the obvious contraption beneath one of her digit bulge under the pressure. Pushing downward, she punched the button as if she were trying to harpoon it on a nail. Yet, instead of turning off, the thing kept on going with its wretched bleating. Not sure what went, the finger lifted itself before driving back down-repeatedly spearing the switch like it nobody's business.

But, despite it all, the alarm didn't stop.

If anything, it got louder.

Left with just pinning the button beneath her finger, as if holding it there for a few seconds would solve the problem, the girl found herself becoming desperate. It was bad enough that she felt sick and could use a bit of Tylenol, the last thing she actually needed was to have a panic attack. Feeling the pains in her skull intensify with the coming moment, her delicate fingers transformed into a not so delicate looking fist. Knuckles turning into a pale white as the bones positioned themselves, cracking under the internal pressure from the fury that starting to set in. The hammer of her justice raised itself high, higher than the counter and higher than the bed, high than even what was necessary to finish the job assigned to it; only so to strike with all of the girl's mighty vengeance. Finally, it reached a point that felt defyingly satisfying, and fell a speed with no point of return. The device suddenly stopped its alarming cry, perhaps noticing the danger it was in after causing such a ruckus.

But it was far too late in trying to rectify the problem with a more peaceful solution.

Her vengeance fell upon it with even greater gratification.

Slamming into the object, the girl almost thought she heard it crack. In fact, she was certain that it snapped beneath her fist; could feel something give way so abruptly. It didn't matter, though, to be honest. It was the damn thing's own damn fault that it came in between her and her beauty sleep, should've thought twice before screwing with her when she was not in the mood. All that mattered to her right now was that the nightmare was over, and all she could do was listen to the her body's need to rest and let her mind escape reality. Relaxing the clenched fist back into a calmed hand, she didn't even bother to pull it back into the blanket. Quite frankly, she didn't feel bothered enough to do anything but lay there and do nothing. Now, having finally nothing to stand in her way, she could let go of any need to think. Let go of any reason to be, any tether to existence. To be anywhere, but here, that was she could hope for. It was all that she dreamed for, in this moment, to dream of anything else.

She sighed in relief.

 _RRRRNNNGG-RRRRNNNGG-RRRRNNNGG-RRRRNNNGG!_ The alarm was right back crying like banshee that got caught in a blender made out of cats in heat. It was back with a vengeance of its own, offended by the injustice that had been dealt upon it. It was going to make the girl sorry for ever trying to silence-

The hand laying so calmly on top of the item snatched the object in a claw like grip, immobilizing it while attempting to crush the device in between her fingers. But there were better ways to deal with such an annoying creature, and the hand immediately thought of a few before acting on them. Picking up the alarm, it slammed it right back down onto the counter several times. Smashing it into the wooden surface in hopes of destroying it on the, the hand began to thrash even harder as the device seemed to intensify in its punishment. Defiantly screaming in pain one last time, the object was determined to let its voice be heard in last living seconds. This only seemed to drive the girl to hurt the inanimate object even more, and she enjoyed every sadist moment of the mutilation as it started to crumble in her palm. But through the torture, it kept on blaring its final battle cry, refusing to meet its end so quietly. Not inclined to make this any easier, the hand ripped the alarm clock up into the air; further than it ever did before, pulling the plug out of the socket. Cocking itself like a catapult, the entire surface of the bed explode as the form beneath the cover twisted itself and the hand launched that piece of shit across the room until it smashed through the window.

Fuck it...was someone else's problem, now.

The light from the sun entire the room through its new entrance, gushing in like a flash flood. Groaning in her new sleeping position, the girl started to reap the consequences of having reacting so violently. Now, not only was it brighter in the room, or, she was also facing in the direction of that light source, but the one thing blocking the sunlight had been removed. Helpless to anything but place an arm in front of her face, she was left to deal the invading rays the best way she could. The only thing covering her head was her long and vibrantly red hair, and, if anything, it only seemed to burn brighter in the presence of light. She had fallen asleep the night before wearing a t-shirt, the only thing below was a her panties. Almost on her stomach, the girl's bum was lightly raised up off the bed; nearly shaped like a heart thanks to her hips, and practically bare thanks to her choice in underwear. Rear end in an awkward position of offering to the open air, it lead to a pair of nicely shaped legs. Long and elegant, they appeared smooth to touch and rich to behold. Despite a few features being hidden away, albeit poorly, it was obvious to any that saw her that the girl had some attractive traits going for her.

Not that she felt attractive, pretty, or beautiful. She felt like shit, in fact, she felt worse than that alarm clock of hers that she just killed in cold blood…and it couldn't even feel anything. Guess that's what a night of heavy drinking would do to a human being that didn't have a care for what happened next. The girl wasn't an alcoholic, hardly even drank half the time when the opportunity was to easy. But, a couple of friends…possible just acquaintance she managed to stick around for longer than originally thought possible managed to chalk her up to it after a week's worth of pestering. One girl's night out later and here she was destroying house hold appliances for doing their job, but it was worth it. Worth feeling like she was going to vomit all over her sheets, worth having mind shattering headache, worth feeling like the butt of some terrible joke and life lesson example…wait, that didn't sound righ-

 _RRRRNNNGG-RRRRNNNGG-RRRRNNNGG-RRRRNNNGG!_

"AAAAHHHGG!" Blistering rage filled her veins and set her nerves on fire, hatred frothed from throat like acid from her gut. Twisting in reverse, right back the way she came, the girl rolled out of the bed. Despite being under the assault of a serious hangover, she landed on her feet like a cat without fail. Griping the edges of counter, glared downwards with murder in her pink eyes. She would commit mass genocide of all alarm clocks if she had to, just shut this damn thing… _"huh?"_

The girl was confused, for a few reasons. One was that she had thrown the garbage out her window-of that, she certain. There a few items on the surface of her counter, none of them close to being the device she dealt, but, that left her with the second reason of confusion. That damn alarm was still going off, right in her face, despite being nowhere to be found. Which left the girl to wonder what could've been ruining her morning. Checking her counter several times over, she felt her face go numb when she finally uncovered the source of her rude awakening. Her cellphone was lit up very brightly, energetically ringing its technological heart out. In truth, it probably wasn't all that loud, but it sure felt like it to her inside the girl's. With the screen so bright, the last thing she actually wanted to do was look at it with her sensitive eyes. However, having come this, the young woman wasn't a quitter. Staring right into the middle of the screen, trying to adjust to the white light, she took note of symbols taking form. All to reveal…some random number she didn't recognize. Realizing that everything she went through, her loss of sleep, her dead clock, and the fiery pit of anger building up inside, all because of somebody either had wrong number or was trying to sell her something; the girl could only do one thing.

Reaching out with a finger, she tapped the hang up option and the phone went silent.

Laying back on the bed, the redhead let out a groan as the room became gracefully quiet. She didn't bother covering up, no, it was far too late for that. Yet she remained at rest with some piece of mind, her problem was now taken care of. Yet, all that left her with was several more problems, namely, the ones that kept her from going back to sleep. After all that, there was no chance of her getting any rest, and now the full effect of her hangover came to bear it crushing weight on her being. Unable to escape it, all she could do was curse it. Curse herself. Curse other people that may or may not have had anything to do with her current state. Screw whoever the hell was calling her at…she checked the phone…twelve-thirty-one in the evening! Yeah, that's right.

Screw 'em.

She didn't like people, needless to say. Granted, it wasn't just this morning that made her feel such, she genuinely disliked everyone else. Not discriminately, though, she equal and fair for her hatred of other human beings. She really just didn't like them, didn't care for their company, for what they offered in terms of a relationship, or anything having to revolve around dealing with them. Not that she couldn't make use of them, however, it was the one redeemable factor they had going for them. A way to make easy money, sure, a couple of shots to turn the world on its head, most definitely, interacting with them for the sole purpose of engagement…she already had one reason to throw up, didn't need another. The closest she came to not hating people was just that, not hating them. And only a few blood relatives, mainly her nuclear family, managed to get into that category.

The redhead groaned, getting a tedious reminder of how sorry of a state she was in. She had gotten pretty damn drunk last night, that much was for sure. The girl could go for a few drinks again, now, just anything besides beer. She was thirsty as hell, and her body was dehydrated. Her mouth felt so dry and the tongue inside futilely licked around in search of some form of moisture. Could go for nice cup of anything right about now, she wasn't picky in the regards as to what. Just something that would slate her thirst and bring her closer to ending this sickness.

Looking back at the counter with eyes that wished they could've been asleep by now, the hallucinated a clear glass of water sitting right in front of her. Reaching out towards it, she willed the illusion to be true-just enough for her to feel the cool sides within her grasp…" _Eh?!_ " Mentally gasping at the sudden surprise, the redhead felt her jaw dropped when she realized the glass actually was real. The sides were crafted in a certain pattern that helped with gripping, a factor that she could hardly believe was happening right now. Unable to express good fortunes in a clear, the girl sat up-careful not to spill her newfound drink-while bringing the glass over. Picking it up, she noticed that there was a slip of paper attached to the bottom of it. Peeling of the little note, she found what appeared to be a note from herself. It read:

 _ **For hungover me. :)**_

Thus, here lied the single contradiction in her philosophy on people and how much she despised them. Bringing the glass of refreshing water up to her lips for a sip, she acknowledged the tiny little slip in her way of thinking. The one person in the world she actually did like, was the same person who looked out for the girl: herself. Only person that ever went further than that standard of hers was the one that was always reliable,, who constantly looked out for the girl's best interest, and never failed to be there for her in this miserable life. Unlike other people, she could at least count on herself to watch her own back, and not worry about stabbing it the second she wasn't looking. There was no lying between her and herself, especially not some false promises made in order to lead her on and make a fool out of the girl. She was only one she could trust, if anything, she-

The redhead nearly choked, the water so cool just a second ago suddenly lighting a fire at the back of her throat. Spilling just a of it on her shirt, she became increasingly aware of the small of alcohol; in this case, quite possibly, tequila. Taken aback by the sudden explosions of taste buds on her tongue, she was honestly flabbergasted by the surprise spirits in her mouth. How could this had happen? The note…she turned the sticky paper around, finding a new message having been left for her.

 _ **Gotcha, bitch! ;)**_

"… _Drunk me is a douche,_ " the thought echoed throughout her quiet mind. Forgetting all that she was previously thinking, the girl concluded that she couldn't even trust her own self. Guess that's what she got for being Vicky. Ah, yes. Vicky-" _oooh! My fucking head…_ "-some last name she wasn't particularly keen on thinking about. Just Vicky, though, the name did come with a few titles. Icky Vicky, Evil little V, the meanest girl in Dimmesdale, Vicky the babysitter-though, perhaps…not that last one, at least, not anymore. She hadn't babysat anyone's kid in a long while, a few years, actually. Oh, sure, it was easy money for the time being, but, she moved on to different things after a while. On the bright side, at least she didn't to deal with some idiot parents throwing their money at her…wait, why did she give up babysitting again? Groaning as thinking became an even greater chore thanks to the headache, the girl decided not to delve into past anymore.

Instead, she decided to delve into her past just the night before. Why the hell did she drink so much, she didn't even like drinking. It was all supposed to be fun and games, but now it was only suffering and torture. How could anyone consider waking up in the morning with magnitude seven earthquake partying through their heads like it was madi gras. Couldn't remember all too well what had happened last night, but she was sure that it went a little something like: _"We're just here to have a good time,"_ her so called friends told her on their way to the bar. _"Don't worry about it, we're going to have you feeling a whole lot better before this over."_ LIARS! She ought to throw them frying oil after skinning each one alive for doing this her, especially for turning her against herself when she most vulnerable; still couldn't believe that Vicky, of people, would be so mean to her-seriously, that girl was her rock. Granted, this brought forth another idea that, despite being something she really didn't want hear, had some merit to thinking.

The one the girl had to blame for her punishing short comings was her own self.

Vicky wasn't an idiot, she knew exactly what drinking did and she knew damn well what it would do to her. The redhead allowed some other girls take her to a bar-several, in fact-to get tipsy, and she took it upon herself to get wasted. Damn. Was it even worth getting properly shitfaced, she couldn't remember. It did get the ball rolling, however, and Vicky started to wonder why she even agreed to go drinking in the first place…" _oh._ "

A new thought entered her mind, as memory started to flood in right behind it. Looking up, she gazed across the room until she met eyes with her reflection. The mirror in the wardrobe basked in the glory of the sun, catching and casting rays right across the room. Despite her minor weakness to the beaming light, the girl didn't allow this to hinder her. Her eyes squinting in the face of such brilliance, eventually adjusting to and handling the rays better than before. And then she saw it, the faults in her appearance. It was as if her body split, like a puzzle, in several positions. If someone were to nudge one side, or apply pressure from another end, the girl looked as if she would come apart and separate into different sections. But it wasn't her that was broken, that was the mirror. Cracks ran throughout the glass material like a spiders web, creating a network of rugged rivers across the mirror. And they all lead back to the exact same source, a fist sized crater just riveted in broken pieces-some, of which, appear to have been missing.

Looking at shattered reflection, the girl felt everything else go numb she gazed upon it. Gripping the glass of Tequila in her hand tighter, she lifted it up before downing what was left of the concoction. It sent fire burning down her throat, warming the pit of her stomach as it the rock bottom like a stone. Luckily, there wasn't that much left after the spill, certainly not enough to be overdoing it-if you take out drinking in the middle of the day. There were benefits to it, though, like getting rid of that cold lump she felt in in her gut. Her headache became a little easier to bear, and, that made it easier for her to think. Not that she needed a second thought about anything.

Despite her body feeling so terrible, Vicky's mind was resolute.

Setting the glass down, she got out of the bed and proceeded to leave the room entirely. A cold shower would do her much better than the hair of the dog could, would certainly feel nicer. Passing the mirror without a care, she headed off towards the bathroom to freshen up. Hair was in a bit of a mess, having just woken up, and the smell of a strong drink was definitely upon her. But she walked with an air of confidence that couldn't be hindered, there was not a stumble or misstep in her path. Pride presented itself, bare as a newborn, but tempered like a warrior that adorned in the thickest of armor. She wasn't putting up some front or act, the girl never thought and didn't have to. All of this came naturally to her, and, if there was any reason to think doubt, Vicky didn't betray it.

Thirty minutes later, and the redhead found herself down stairs in the kitchen. If she were a bit of a train wreck from before, it didn't show now. The shower was a whole lot more enjoyable than she imagine, the way the water danced on her skin before running down the rest of her body felt amazing. Although, while it was relaxing, the girl felt even more awake than before. Not tip toe alert, but, it was as if she didn't need the few extra hours of sleep she missed out on thanks to the incident that happened earlier.

"Ah. Dammit," she recalled what happened, and made a mental note of getting a new alarm clock. Rubbing the back of her head in a bit of embarrassment by the literal wake up call, her fingers ran through her wet hair. She dried herself completely, but the top of her head was still a little damp. Didn't really bother her, was nice and cool for her shoulders. Was also nice not having alcohol breath, though, that tequila might have been just as effective at cleaning her mouth as the toothpaste. Still, with the girl's skin was smooth like silk and every inhale or air was practically a mint, there were no complaints. Feeling clean and lovely, the next order of business was finding something to eat.

And that's where her luck was starting to run thin.

Upon reaching the cabinets and searching throughout, she found them relatively empty of anything edible and filling-only a bunch of seasonings and sauces her mother used for cooking. The fridge was in the same state, barren of anything that was food. She did find a bottle of water, however, and started drinking it as her search moved over to another pantry that was still closed. "Ah-ha!" the girl finally found something worthy of interest, a half empty bag of potato chips that she left for when times got hard. Taking off the clippers, she opened them up...to find out that half of the half empty bag of chips was just air that got caught. Gritting her teeth, the redhead turned her attention back to the refrigerator-tempted to the give a second look despite knowing better. She noticed something she didn't see before, another note. Hoping this wasn't another prank by Drunk Vicky, the redhead picked it off the fridge to get a better look.

Her luck prevailed...or not. The letter was from her mother, letting the rest of the family know that she was going to be grocery shopping today because they were out of food. Though, it was more than likely just for Vicky herself. Her dad was away on a business trip, leaving the house to just his wife and two daughters. The redhead's little sister, Tootie, most likely was in school right about now. Probably hitched a ride with their mom, thus leaving Vicky to being the only one the note could be for. Her stomached growled in disappointment, and the girl sighed as the reality of situation was dawning upon her. Until mom came back home from hunting for prey down the aisle at the market store, she was left to starve here in the house...alone...or, she could just drive somewhere to eat.

The girl wasn't a girl.

She was a young woman early in her twenties, and contributed to this house. Must have had something to do with getting a real job and going to a community college. Any who, fending for herself and satisfying her gut wasn't such a difficult task. But first, she would need her keys, wallet, and-" _Kind of chilly in here,_ "-to get properly dressed. Sense the house was only filled with women, and always outnumbered men, it was a bit of a habit to walk around topless. Specifically, her habit, much to her mother's disapproval. Had the young lady had known she had the place all to herself, however, a shirt and bra wouldn't have been the only thing missing from her attire. As is, she'd was walking around in a fresh pair of pink panties to cover her bottom, leaving her breast to be free in the air around her. Barefooted, she found tbe sunlight to be more enjoyable now than before. They way it warmed her bare skin filled the girl with energy, perhaps, also making her a little too excited. It's not that the sensation of moving around in an open space, almost naked, felt naughty-in a good way. Just that when she turned a certain way that caused the warmth to run over her softly, swaying ass or tease a free, budding nipple, she might've considered taking another cold shower. Good thing there wasn't anything to eat at the house, for mother dearest sake when she came back to find her daughter in such a state. The world might have enjoyed seeing a bit of a show, but even the redhead had her limits at how far she teased it and with what method. First she would get dressed, than she would worry about gracing it with her presence.

Walking back upstairs, into her room, she opened the wardrobe to select a few articles of clothing. A bit picky in her taste, everything she had usually fell in the category of green or black; maybe pink when it suited her. Today seemed particularly sunny, so she slipped on a green, button up, tank top and black short jeans. There was a bit of space in between the two, and an inch or two of her mid-riff was showing. Putting on a pair of white sandals, Vicky almost forgot one of the most important parts to her attire. Turning back towards the bed, she opened the drawer inside the counter and reach for some of the contents in it. What her hand returned with was a green hair band, and with it she repeated one oldest processes in her life up to date. Didn't really even to think about, her nimble fingers moved all on their own. Grabbing hold of her fiery red hair, Vicky pushed it through the band before taking it from the other side. Pulling it all in one motion, a ponytail was born from the union of the item and her hair. Giving it a final twist, and she was done.

Now she was just about ready to go out for breakfast...brunch...lunch it is.

Reaching into the drawer for her wallet and car keys, Vicky was ready to leave the room once and for all when her phone started ringing again. She didn't have nowhere near the terrible headache from before, but, some wounds can never fully heal. That, and she was still pretty pissed about her rude awakening...and her alarm clock. Didn't help that the number she saw on the screen looked oddly similar to the one she saw earlier, fairly odd. Not hesitating for a second, she snatched the cellular device off of the counter and answered it. She didn't know who was so determined to get on her bad side, but "Who the hell is this?!" they succeeded.

"…" The line was quiet, whoever was on the other side didn't answer or didn't know how. Not all to wise when faced with this angry, volatile spirit that only needed a reason. Their failure to respond was that reason.

"...If this is a prank, I swear to whatever god or fairytale you believe in that when I find you-and don't worry, I will find you-I'm going to reach deep inside of your-" she was just getting started when the person snapped out of their shock.

"It's not a prank. It's not PRANK!" A voice nearly shrieked on the other end, not wanting or needing to know whatever it was she was going to do for retribution.

"Good!" Vicky snapped at them, happy to know that they were getting off to such an excellent start...for their sake. "Now who are you?!"

"I-" the other person began.

"And what do you want?!"

"You see-" they tried.

"And why the hell did have to call so damn early-" she thought about her latest question, then added "-in the middle of the day?!"

"W-what I'm t-trying to say i-is-"

"Speak up!"

"…" the line went quiet for a moment, and the girl wondered if she did more damage than originally intended. Not that she was sorry, whoever this was-sounded like a guy-had interrupted her sweet dreams and made her hangover worse in just a few minutes. However, he did managed to pique her interest, and, she was pretty damn curious about whatever it was that had him calling her repeatedly. Actually, now that she thought about it, the redhead did just wake up from a night of heavy drinking. Anything could've happened, anything...oh god, what the hell did she do?! Opening her mouth, though a new train of thought left her jaw dropped, she started working it to talk properly. Maybe even try that one thing, what was it...being gentle? Yeah, perhaps she could try that, though the redhead hadn't practiced it in a long. But before any words could be spoken, the guy on the phone nearly shouted "It's me, Timmy Turner! You used to babysit me a few years ago, I'm friends with your sister-Tootie!"

Nearly throwing the phone away like it where a grenade, Vicky's head was cocked at the sudden explosion of sound. Stunned by how loud he was, she was also surprised by what he said. Timmy, was it? " _...The twerp?_ " Her mind registered the name with a face she hadn't seen in a while. One of her charges back from when she was a babysitting the kids in the neighborhood, his parents paid well. Now that she thought about it, they were one of her favorite clients. Which meant that the girl spent quite a lot of time around him, much to his own chagrin-most likely.

"Uh-hello...hello?" Timmy's voice came back, not as loud. "Hel-"

"I'm still here, no need to shout." Massaging the passageway of her ear, Vicky blinked as her curiosity grew even more. "Timmy, right? Been a while since I heard from you, how's it going?"

"Oh...uh," the boy's response was a little short, apparently surprised by her sudden change in attitude and not knowing what to say next. "Uh...good."

"Good, good. So...why the hell did you wake me up, dammit?!" and so she went right back to being angry at the poor fellow. And she was angry, true, but she was still so damn curious as to how and why he was calling her so early-er-late-er...why the hell was he calling her at all? She was a busy lady, her schedule today was fill with grabbing a bite to eat and finding something good on T.V. to laze around to.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" He apologized three times, consecutively, hoping to appease her fury before it grew any worse.

" _Tch."_ She gritted her teeth. "You better be. Now answer the question."

"Huh?" He was confused by her sudden forgiveness of his crime, not understanding the woman's last command.

"Why. Did. You. Call. Me?" she said each word with clearance, making sure there weren't any misunderstanding. "Must be pretty important to bother me."

"Eep! It's important," his reply was quick. "I swear it's important!"

Raising an eyebrow out this, Vicky's interest were on standing on the edge. It was almost like some sort of a game for the redhead, a little exercise to keep a kitten fit and purring. A grin was forming on her lips, anticipating some kind of satisfaction from newly acquired knowledge, she musically exclaimed "Al~right. Let's hear it."

"...I...I can't tell you," he tried hard to avoid stammering.

The grin on Vicky's face disappeared, leaving a frown in its place as her demeanor turned into something less pleasant. "What?"

"I-I mean-" sensing the venom in her voice, the boy was quick to reply "-it's something that we should talk about in person! Not over the phone."

Gritting her teeth, the redhead felt her lip turn into a snarl. First, this morning-it was morning for her-and now he had the audacity to try pulling her strings. It didn't bode well with the girl, she wasn't someone who took to being teased very well. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it's not very funny."

"It's not a game," Timmy exclaimed on the other end of the phone. "Look, just meet me at the park." Of all the things she was going through today, orders were the least well handled by Vicky-especially when they came from the twerp. Opening her mouth, a few choice words in mind started to weigh on the girl's tongue. Whispers of dark nightmares to give him for making a fool out of her, promises that she would make time to hold up. "Please, I'm begging you."

"…" Vicky was quiet, jaw still working out how to chew the boy up for getting on her nerves. She just didn't expect that last bit.

"I'll explain everything when we meet, but, please..." Timmy's tone sounded pretty serious, it wasn't too hard to imagine him being on his knees. Her paused response gave way to time, time to think his plea over. So sure that this was still some kind of joke, she was more than ready to hang up and go back to doing something else; or maybe do something other's would consider extreme, seeing that it came from someone she knew. Yet, blame her for being so damn curious, but this was starting to worm its way into her subconscious like an unsolved puzzle. She picked a bad time to not be lazy about, because her brain wasn't easing off the subject any time soon. Something that he really had to tell her, but, not like this; it needed to be face to face with someone like her.

" _...Damn it._ " The tightness in her jaw reflected her objection, however, Vicky's mind was set. "Hey, is your address the same? You didn't move?"

"U-Yes! I mean-no!" Timmy fumbled over his words. After a quick, yet deep, breath, he said "I'm still here."

"Good, if you aren't at the park in half an hour, I know where you live," just a tad bit of menace to go with that sentence. A small nudge to make sure the boy understood not to be late.

"!"

"On that note, see ya then."

The redhead was about to hang up when he replied "R-right, I'll be there! Bye Vicky."

Raising an eyebrow, Vicky hit a button to end the call. Letting out an exhausted sigh, she spun around on her heel before landing on the bed. Her back relaxing against the cushions, arms spread out to the sides, the girl felt like sinking into the mattress. What she would give to just lie there all day and forget about everything else. But then she'd be missing out on learning whatever it was the twerp keeping from her, and, by extension, whatever was so important to wake her up in the first place. The redhead wasn't sure what it was that had him so worked up, but it didn't seem to her like he was being any less genuine about it. Maybe she could beat it out of him on another day, though, that wouldn't get rid of her curiosity today.

"...Geez." Today, of all days, was not her day.

* * *

Fuck it.

You're getting another multi-chapter fic.

SaltyJak can do the one-shots.

Hope you're liking what's here so far.


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